Reframe Your Marketing: Invest in Photography
Alli Jagoda Photography reveals why

Imagine yourself standing in front of an expansive magazine rack. Where are your eyes drawn? From a very young age, when Alli Jagoda did this very exercise, her attention was captured by faces. She understood the power in images of people to convey a message.

Fast forward several years. Alli is in college studying fine art. She eventually sets down the paint brush in favor of the camera; it is better able to keep pace with her ideas.

Fast forward again. Now Alli Jagoda Photography is a thriving business of nearly 10 years with high profile clients like Target, Regis, Best Buy, the University of Minnesota and the Mall of America. She’s known for photographing people. Her work fits in the marketing scheme to get results and reach branding objectives.

“People are drawn to other people. So while I do other kinds of photography, I’ve really gotten to be known for my work photographing people for advertising and marketing,” said Alli. “My clients have found that it’s worth investing in.”

Images that Look Effortless Are Rarely So
A typical photo shoot for Alli Jagoda Photography includes creative directors, makeup artists, hairstylists, wardrobe, set designers and a host of assistants. They come together to shoot sometimes hundreds of images to get that one signature shot. So it’s no wonder collaboration is a big component of what makes Alli Jagoda Photography successful.

Alli shoots fashion photography as well as photographing children and babies. Working with different clients leads to a number of different working styles. Alli easily adapts.

“I stepped toward commercial photography, rather than fine art photography, so I could collaborate with others,” Alli said. “Some clients have a very specific idea in mind. I am good at taking direction and helping them reach their goal. Other clients seek more direction and input from me, which is also fun. I embrace both working styles.”

Fortunately Alli is in her “dream studio,” which is perfect for large productions like these. It includes a private loading dock, full kitchen and 4,000 square foot space with tons of natural light.

Success Stories Are Common
Alli Jagoda Photography has a host of happy clients. This story particularly caught our attention!

Alli explained, “I worked with an agency in Chicago who needed me to shoot adults and kids eating food. The direction they gave me was to shoot it so it looks like the people could be eating food while riding on a rollercoaster! They wanted me to bring a lot of my own ideas to the table, which I love doing. We did some crazy fun stuff. We had a girl jumping on a trampoline while holding a salad that flew everywhere, and kids standing under a flurry of popcorn falling on them. It was by far the messiest shoot I’ve done, but the results were great. The clients loved it all. The pictures ran as life-size printed signage at a retail location.”

Photography and Your Brand: Have You Considered It Lately?
Great photography can help achieve marketing results. A signature shot—of people, food, a place or a detail—is an important brand asset. (Just think of flying salad and raining popcorn!) Stock photography has become common for many organizations, but it’s far from the gold standard. Photography coordinated specifically for your brand can make all the difference. Instead of trying to explain exactly why, we’ll let the pictures to do the talking—

With unique images like these, you’ll catch your audience’s attention and never have to worry about the same image being used by your competitor.

Sometimes shooting a model doesn’t always make sense. For example, Alli recently did a photo shoot for the University of Minnesota using real students. And she’s shot many organizational leaders and employees (see the Adsoka about page!).  Alli frequently works with models and non-models alike to produce excellent results. She is approachable and friendly, which puts her subjects immediately at ease.
           
The human face in photography is indeed powerful; it’s no wonder it is a common and powerful way to convey a message, particularly in advertising. Just ask Alli.

THE DETAILS
Alli Jagoda Photography
www.AlliJagoda.com
alli@allijagoda.com

500 Washington Ave S, Suite 1030
Minneapolis, MN 55415

W: 612.378.8890
C: 763.443.8484

Q & A with Adsoka

How to we optimize our photography via social media?

Using social media regularly, particularly the most popular and well-known Facebook and Twitter, is a good idea. Ensuring photography is a component of that is an even better idea. Part of what makes Facebook and Twitter so popular are their ability to give real-time updates. Don’t limit these updates to just words—add photography too! With Facebook, don’t neglect your pictures section. Create albums for products/services, special issues, announcements or just a day in the life. Twitter itself does not have the ability to attach photos to a tweet, but a number of third party platforms have jumped in to enable this. The most popular, Twitpic, allows you to upload a picture of your own, add a message and tweet it. You can even do this from your mobile phone. (Other similar applications include yfrog.com, tweetphoto.com, pikchur.com and others.)

Do you have a question for Adsoka? Email it to info@adsoka.com. We will answer your question, and it could appear in the next issue of Hint!

What It Takes to Hire with Confidence
How Adsoka client True Talent Group adds significant value

True Talent Group has proven that it is always valuable to have a talent expert by your side—regardless of economic conditions.

During the recession, when corporate or agency clients were inundated with resumes for a position to fill, Executive Recruiter Stacey Stratton already had a set of qualified candidates in mind for the job. So even though the hiring manager couldn’t spend much time screening, he or she could hire confidently. Job seekers could rely on True Talent Group to tune them in to opportunities not posted publicly. Both parties could trust True Talent Group to create a successful match.

True Talent Group specializes in permanent placement, contract and temp-to-hire of mid- to executive-level creative professionals in the advertising, design and interactive field. Common job titles are designer, copywriter and account executive.  True Talent Group works with corporations, advertising agencies, design firms, marketing groups, printers and more—many of which have been hit hard with the recession.

Stratton understands that being connected is paramount to the company’s success. That’s why every week a set amount of time is dedicated for employees to network and check in with people at different points of the industry.

It’s been a successful approach for True Talent Group. Ninety percent of her career placements are still with their companies today. Sales in 2008 exceeded expectations and continued to grow in 2009. That’s during the height of the economic slump.

“It’s great to be able to connect the dots—to know someone with a need and someone who can fill it. It’s what we do. We pride ourselves on being highly connected,” Stratton said.

Even during economic booms, True Talent Group is an asset. They help find the right talent quickly—when deadlines are tight and the right person needs to deliver. It’s about relationships; it’s about understanding key components in how employers and employees best match.

To advance their branding, True Talent Group partners with Adsoka.

“Adsoka has worked with True Talent Group to zero in on the messages that matter in a recession to help keep the momentum. We developed the branding, Web site and email newsletter among other things. All of these items have allowed us to be nimble as the market changes,” said Jason Inskeep, principal at Adsoka. “We have also incorporated a strong sense of optimism in branding and messaging, which is a big part of who True Talent Group is. They’ve showed that optimism pays.”

True Talent Group is Women’s Business Enterprise-certified as a woman-owned business; WBE is one of the most widely recognized certifications in the nation by Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. To be certified, True Talent Group proved it is a woman-owned and controlled company.

As the economy continues to turn around, companies will begin hiring in a big way. Rebuilding teams and preparing for success will be on everyone’s minds. Won’t it be nice to have True Talent Group on your side?

THE DETAILS
Get to know True Talent Group.
Visit www.TrueTalentGroup.com. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for the On the Job newsletter.

Q & A with Adsoka

What are ways I can get prospective customers to engage with our brand, even if right now they’re not ready to purchase?

As you know, prospective customers are often not ready to buy today, but may be ready tomorrow. The message should work to connect their need with your offering so they remember you when they ARE ready. One way to do this is to provide something that is useful or interesting today. For example, Adsoka helped True Talent Group produce the True Talent Group 2010 Talent Forecast. This white paper is geared to hiring managers who will be hiring in the future, but not necessarily right now. The Forecast is a gift to them. It shows True Talent Group as a thought-leader and a capable vendor for when the time is right. The Forecast was highlighted in the last On the Job newsletter, where hiring managers can request it. It’s a smart way to connect with a future customer!

Do you have a question for Adsoka? Email it to info@adsoka.com. We will answer your question, and it could appear in the next issue of Hint!

(December 15, 2009) Minneapolis—Shakopee-based St. Francis Regional Medical Center and Adsoka unveil Women’s Health sub-branding. With new delivery rooms in 2010 and expanded capacity, it was time for St. Francis to increase their outreach to their female audience. Adsoka developed the Women’s Health sub-brand after extensive research that included competitive reviews and interviews with staff, potential patients, patients, nurses, midwives and doctors.

For St. Francis, recognizing their key customer (women) means catering their services in such a way that the comprehensive package is even better than the individual parts. The new brand is customer-centric. It’s less procedure-centered, more people-centered.

The thorough investigation of branding oriented to women, especially in the medical field, showed that pinks, purples, ribbons and silhouettes abound. With the understanding that femininity could be expressed with softness yet strength, Adsoka created this Women’s Health brand to convey femininity, nature, family, spa, serenity, vitality and fortitude.

“We knew it was important that this brand have a natural essence and be soothing,” said Kayla Stearns, designer at Adsoka. “It conveys femininity without the obvious color palette.”

The goal of the branding is to speak to women at all stages of life. The graphic element in the Women’s Health logo is a nod to the leaves in the current St. Francis graphic element; it integrates well with the current brand family. One of the mark’s defining characteristics is the six stems, which are reminiscent of family and recovery. This is fitting for a health center focused on growing families as well as healing.

St. Francis is a comprehensive medial center for the south metro area. Learn more at
http://www.stfrancis-shakopee.com.

(December 1, 2009) Minneapolis—LandOf.org is an information salon for Minnesota developers, municipalities and the public to learn about growing smarter. Launched on December 1, LandOf.org covers everything from central cities to rural areas and mixed land use to stakeholder collaboration with downloadable plans, case studies and images for each. LandOf.org, developed by Adsoka, is a mingling of voices that asks, “how can we do what’s best for Minnesota?”

“Minnesotans are used to the term ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes.’ But what’s next? Land of what? Jammed up freeways? Paved-over paradise? Taking trains to new jobs? Historic town centers?” said Jason Inskeep, principal at Adsoka. “Changing an approach to land use requires corralling a set of diverse resources into a central place so the daunting goal of smart growth can be less a trendy topic and more a realized effort.”

Funded with a grant from the McKnight Foundation, LandOf.org is a guide to help Minnesota’s best future to come true. This Web site asks the question, "What’s best?" for finite land resources as demands upon them grow. The underlying premise is, "There is a smarter response."

“People understand they need to do something differently, they just don’t know what,” said Jim Erkel, program director and attorney with Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA). “Meanwhile, at MCEA we were filling frequent requests from planners, developers and the public for planning information. The information was available; it just wasn’t centralized. That’s what LandOf.org does.”

Minnesotans stand at a pivotal moment. The world has changed. A troubled economy, energy insecurity, climate change and big demographic shifts are forcing a new direction. For 60 years communities were designed for maximum driving with great distances separating our daily activities.

LandOf.org recognizes that now we must go another way. We must adapt our communities to living patterns that are more efficient, better for our health and our planet, better for our country’s security and future prosperity. Minnesota’s central cities, urban neighborhoods, developed or developing suburbs, small cities and rural areas must all discover how to grow smarter.

Learn more and contribute your knowledge at http://www.LandOf.org.